The Sons Of Hermes
by Annabeth13 Chase
Summary: Sometimes I barely notice how minor characters Travis and Conner Stoll are. They are my favorite minor characters in the series. They set ping-pong balls on fire. Their back-story is never mentioned throughout the series. The names of the other Hermes kids are never mentioned in the books. I wrote my own story about the kids who wanted to raid a candy shop in the middle of a war.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

** This is my first story. Ever. Thanks so much for reading this story. I hope you like it.**

**What happened before Travis and Conner Stoll came to camp Half-Blood? Who was their mother? Why do they stay at Camp year-round? Who were the other children in the Hermes cabin? There were no answers in the books for my questions, so I wrote my own…**

**Disclaimer- I do not own the Percy Jackson series. Even though I want to.**

"But it was mine!" Travis Stoll yelled from his seat at the dinner table. His brother, Conner gave him a look that said plainly, '_Don't. You'll just make it worse'_' Travis ignored his younger brother and continued arguing with his mother. "He stole it! It wasn't my fault! It was _my_ twenty dollars! He-"

His mother cut him off. "Travis, enough. No," she ignored his angry protests," how could you know that it wasn't his twenty dollars? You stole them, and you know it."

"Mom, I _know_ it's my twenty dollars, I didn't steal! I could tell for some reason that the twenty dollars in Mark Whetstones locker were mine! _He _stole from _me_!"

Conner broke the silence. "Somebody stole from a Stoll? How's that possible?" That was Connor for you. Always trying to make light of things.

Anger boiled inside Travis. Mark Whetstones was one of the biggest bullies on the planet, and who did he _have_ to pick on, when there were more than three hundred students in the seventh grade? Travis, of course. His only friend was a scrawny weird kid named Jonas who could hardly walk correctly, but could still run pretty quickly. The only reason he stayed by Jonas's side was to protect the poor kid from the dumb bullies at school. Nobody else seemed to want to talk to him. Even the teachers ignored him. Travis had never done well in school, and his highest grade ever was a lousy seventy-five. The teachers despised him for that. Weird things always happened to him. His locker (And other people's) burst open at the simplest touch of his fingers. He saw strange things- the silhouette of a lady flying overhead as he was looking at the stars when he was in third grade, even though that was impossible, a man with a big hat and just one eye staring down at him while he was at the grocery store buying milk when he was twelve years old. The man on the horse who had streaked by Travis's bus so quickly, he had thought the man and the horse were one, smoothly grafted together. Whenever he pointed one of these strange occurrences out to Jonas, his friend sounded worried, asked if he was okay or if he'd had enough sleep that night. Everybody at school except Jonas and Mr. Stonewall, his math teacher, ignored him and was mean. Now even his mom was angry at him, which usually never happened. Always Travis. Never anybody else. Nobody had as bad luck as he always did Mrs. Stoll got up from her place at the table. "Enough of this," she said impatiently, "Come on, boys. Post office.

Conner groaned. "Why? Why do we always go to the post office?"

"We're sending a letter to your father. You should know that by now. We go every week."

"Yes, our dad, the moron who left for California, left you with barely enough money to survive, two baby boys, and has never replied to even_ one_ of your letters," Travis muttered under his breath," Yes, how could I forget."

If his mother had heard, she didn't say a single word.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**I really like writing this story. It gives me something to look forward to.**

**Also- I don't like messing with the story line. I will not make them do anything that would interfere with the plot of the book directly. So, no, they will not fall in love with Annabeth. Who comes later in the story. Not in this chapter. I just wanted to say that before I forget about it. **

**Disclaimer- I still don't own Percy Jackson. *Sigh* **

Travis stared out the front seat window. He watched the hills and buildings of the small West Virginia town, now shutting down for the night, roll by. Connor, in the back seat, was being annoying as usual.

"Hey, mom," he called to their mother, whose anger had subsided over the last half hour. "How was work today?"

Travis looked outside again. He saw his mother's little bookstore on Walnut Street. Its lights were off, and the dim glow of the setting sun shining on the white paint of the walls made it seem like the whole building was in flames.

"Fine, honey," She mumbled distractedly.

Travis was sure she had been lying. Mrs. Stoll barely ever mentioned this, but the bookstore didn't ever get enough money to support even three people. Mrs. Stoll was saving up money to upgrade the shop and hopefully attract more customers to the shop. Then maybe she could relax a little. Then maybe, hopefully, she'd get a small break. Maybe she wouldn't have to work long hours to scrape out money that was barely enough for their daily bread and butter.

Travis continued looking out the windows. He could see one of Connor's old schools, far off in the hills, and his new school, closer to town. Travis's newest school was sitting in a small part of town, on top of a grassy hilltop. It was probably not going to be his school for much longer. He had already gotten two in-school-suspensions, and the fact that he had 'stolen' the twenty dollars from Whetstones locker probably meant that he would soon get expelled. Again.

His thoughts were interrupted by their arrival at the post office. Travis jumped out of the front seat and slammed the car door behind him. Then he followed his mother and brother into the post office.

The Stoll's mailbox had been broken for about a month, and the repair man _still_ hadn't come to fix it, so Travis and Connor had been forced to drag along every week to send a letter to the dad they had never even _met_. The front room of the post office was cold and painted a bright shade of lime green, which made Travis's already-dyslexic-eyes hurt.

The gum-chewing lady at the front desk greeted them and talked to his mother for a while. That was the bad part of living in such a small town. You knew everyone, and everyone knew you. After about five minuets that seemed to drag on and on, the lady grabbed the letter and took it into the post offices back rooms. She emerged a few seconds later, carrying a large, lumpy package wrapped in brown paper.

"Here you go, Mrs. We got this from New York yesterday. It's for you."

Mrs. Stoll's face went pale.

"Send it back. Please. Now."

The lady looked confused.

"Ma'am…"

"I said _now_." Travis was sure that he had never seen his mother's face change color so quickly. Her face had been pale as the moon a few seconds ago, and now it was the crimson color of the setting sun. the lady ran back into the backroom. His mother's face returned to its normal color.

"Come on you two. We have to get home. Travis, why do you have that look on your face?" Mrs. Stoll snapped.

"Mom, who was that package from?" Travis asked.

"Your father. Why does it matter?"

"Mom, you've been sending him letters for years, and when he replies, you send it back? Why would you do that?"

His mother took a shaky breath, and sighed.

"Travis, Connor, your father wants you two to go to a special place, but I don't want you going there. He thinks you are ready for something big. But I know you two aren't ready for something like what he thinks you are. I don't want my sons to leave me just yet." She gave them a sad smile. They all climbed into the car, and their mother never said anything else to them that night.

It all got worse from Elm street. Connor was actually silent for once. So was Travis. He was still processing his mother's words. He was wondering why a man who left their mother after a year and a half would want him and Connor to go anywhere special. And why _didn't_ their mother want them to go there? What was so dangerous that she didn't want her sons messing with it?

No one in the silent car could have guessed what happened next. At first, Travis thought that the driver's seat had exploded. Something bust through the door and window. Next thing he knew, he was sprawled on the street with shattered glass around him.

Then everything went black.

** Yes, I know you're thinking about a monster. **

**I was crying as I wrote this chapter. Still am. ****L**

**You can probably guess what happened. ****L**

**Thank you, Mr. / Miss **

**PercyJacksonDoctorWhoFanGirl**

**annabeth the wise girl**

**Jupiterson**

**Percy Potter :P (My favorite two books)**

**Finwitch1- Yes, they do stay year-round. They are pretty powerful as sons of Hermes. **

**I guess I was feeling sort of evil when I wrote this. I was planning it from chapter 1, but when I started writing this it seemed 1000 times sadder. **

**All this took two years before ****The Lightning Thief****. **

**My updates will not be regular. They will be whenever I have time to finish and update a chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

I don't mean to offend you people, but please stop following and posting. Read, but don't comment. I love your comments, but the site sends me an email when you follow, favorite or review. My mom is wondering if I'm really studying or just emailing friends. She has linked up my account to hers so that whenever I get an email, she gets notified. When I can figure out how to stop this, then I will say that it is safe to review and follow again. I am planning to update Saturday. Thank you for reading this. I'll update new chapter soon.

-Annabeth Chase7713


	4. Chapter 4

** Hello! Sorry for the delay. We're going away for Christmas and I wanted to get another chapter up before I leave.**

**For those of you who don't know, I successfully **_Stoll_** (Get it?) my moms phone and turned all notifications off.**

**Now you can review and follow all you want!**

**Yay!**

**Actually, I don't think many people are actually reading this anymore.**

**Anyway, thanks to all the people who followed and reviewed! I love your questions!**

**Now, onto chapter 3 or 4, depending on how you look at it!**

Travis woke up in a police car, with Conner using him as a pillow.

"Ahhug!" He screamed as he snapped straight out of the seat and flung his brother's body off of him.

The officer in the front passenger seat told them both to calm down.

"Where's mom?" Conner asked nervously.

"Err, um, Stoll, isn't it? Maria Stoll's sons. Travis and Conner, right?"

"Yes," Travis replied, trying not to shout. "Now, _where is our mother?_"

The officer, Mr. Brown, told them that they had been in a car crash. A drunk driver had crashed into the driver's side door. Travis and his brother were the only survivors.

"Does that mean…" Connor whispered his voice deadly quiet.

"Yes. Maria Stoll is dead."

The police officers tried to be kind. Travis could tell even they were shocked.

Everyone in town knew Maria Stoll. Everyone knew her sons were pranksters. There were few people who had not been pranked by the duo. The officers were probably stunned at their silence. Everyone in town knew Connor never shut his mouth. Everyone knew how Travis constantly made corny jokes.

Now the brothers sat in utter silence.

"Hey, it's okay," the officer driving said. She was a young officer in her twenties. Her name was Mrs. Cobble, and she tried to make the best out of everything, but nothing she said could make him forget those words Mr. Brown had said. They kept repeating in his head, over and over again…"

_"Maria Stoll is dead. Maria Stoll is dead._ _Maria Stoll is dead._ _Maria Stoll is dead._ _Maria Stoll is dead."_

For the next half hour, Travis and his younger brother numbly nodded and agreed to everything the officers at the police station said. They only half comprehended what was said.

"You two can crash here tonight. Tomorrow, we'll take you to the orphanage." saying that, Mr. Brown walked out of the room.

Travis flopped down into a chair.

Connor buried his face in a couch cushion. "Now what?" his muffled voice asked.

Travis looked around the room. The doors were locked and the room had no windows. Something shiny on the top of the door frame caught his eye. The key!

"Conner, gut off the couch. We're breaking out of here.

Getting the shining iron key was accomplished after a lot of toppling chairs and a fair amount of cursing. As soon as Travis touched the key to the lock, the door sprung open.

"Huh. I'm pretty sure doors don't work like that."

"Figure out magic door mystery later. Get out of here _now_!" Connor chided.

Travis stepped out into the cool October air. A warm breeze rustled the leaves on a nearby tree. He grabbed his younger brother's hand. Together, they ran home, hoping nobody caught them.

** Okay, not all of this will be sad. This story will lighten up, promise. **

** Does anyone have any corny jokes they'd like to share with me? I'd really appreciate it!**

**Happy Holidays!**


	5. Chapter 5

p class="MsoNormal" strongI'm back! Happy late new year! Hope you are having a great day so far! /strong/p  
>p class="MsoNormal"strongThis is a serious note. Please listen, or read. I put a review about a certain bill called SOPA or something like that. Please read that review. I probably will post it in one of the author notes, but I might not. All of you guest readers who have no freaking idea what the (Beeeeep!) I am talking about, go to the little blue number in the top right hand corner, and look for my review. Thank you for reading this! strong/p  
>p class="MsoNormal"strong Sorry I have not updated in so long. I am such a procrastinator. I am working on a new story, and I've been mentally writing it all week! So, happy late new years, Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukah, and whatever else you celebrate. strong/p  
>p class="MsoNormal"strongOn to chapter 5!strong/p  
>p class="MsoNormal" Travis and Conner arrived at their house. After opening the door with the key hidden under a flowerpot, they ran inside. They dashed around the house, collecting knives, matches, food, and anything you would usually need on a camping trip. They stuffed their school bags full, and in a last second decision, Travis grabbed his bulky winter coat. They had to travel light, but he might need his coat.p  
>p class="MsoNormal" Their plan was simple- go to the post office to look at the mysterious package from their father. Get the address. Run away from town and go to his house. See if he could help. Even if he couldn't or wouldn't take care of them, he could tell them if they had any family that the brothers could stay with.p  
>p class="MsoNormal" Travis hoped his plan would work.p  
>p class="MsoNormal" If not, well, they'd do something. He hoped it wouldn't get to that point.p  
>p class="MsoNormal"_ p  
>p class="MsoNormal" Travis and Conner waited until two o' clock to sneak out of the house. They stayed under their coats, trying to stay hidden from the police officers looking for them on the streets. The brothers snuck behind an old sycamore tree so a few high schoolers could pass. Now they were nearly at Travis's school. emJust three more blocks…em He thought. emJust Three more blocks… don't let them catch us… /em/p  
>p class="MsoNormal" His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. Travis spun around and came face to face with a gangly teenager his age, brown eyes darting around nervously.p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Travis! Conner! What are you doing here! Your mom is emdead! emThe cops are looking for you!" Jonas was nearly yelling./p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Calm down, we emknowem mom's dead. We're going to the post office to see where dad lives. We're going to find him."/p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "No! Don't! Come with me first!"p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "No! Why?"p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Travis, you emcan't emfind your dad!"/p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Why not?"p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Please, Travis, I can help!"p  
>p class="MsoNormal"After half an hour of arguing, the brothers were trudging along with Jonas right to the school doors.p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Please Jonas, why are we here? We could get caught!" Conner pleaded.p  
>p class="MsoNormal" Jonas did not reply. He walked down the white tiled hallways and pushed open a door in the middle of the hall on the right hand side. He walked up to the metal desk where a young teacher sat grading papers.p  
>p class="MsoNormal" " ?"p  
>p class="MsoNormal" The young teacher looked up.p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Hello, Travis. Hi, Conner. What, may I ask, are you doing here?"p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Sir, I think these two are demigods."p  
>p class="MsoNormal" looked at the brothers carefully. p  
>p class="MsoNormal"strong strong"Wait, what? What does that emmean?/em" Travis shouted./p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Do you know anything about Greek mythology?"p  
>p class="MsoNormal" They stared at him blankly.p  
>p class="MsoNormal" He sighed.p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Well then. The Greek gods are still alive today. They move to the country with the most power. Right now, that means the USA. And sometimes these gods have kids with mortals. Those are demigods. I myself am a demigod. My mother is Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle."p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Who?"p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Wait, emdon't tell emme. Are you a demigod too."/p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "No, I'm a satyr."p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "A emwhatem now?"/p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Half goat." Jonas raised his pants legs a bit above his ankle. It was a goat's leg alright, and it was covered in brown fur. Conner looked like he might pass out.p  
>p class="MsoNormal" "Alright kiddos, I'll drive you to Long Island. There's a camp there for demigods. You might be one. At camp, you'll learn to fight monsters, and you'll meet kids your age. You also might find out who your father is. Okay then! Lets get going!"p  
>p class="MsoNormal" p  
>p class="MsoNormal"strongAlright then, than you for reading! Join us again when I finally figure out how to juggle school, homework, classes, a social life, and writing this story!strong/p 


	6. Chapter 5 (Redone)

**Gods, I don't know what the Hades happened back there. I'm sorry. I hope this time this works. Sorry for any inconvenience. **

**I'm back! Happy late new year! Hope you are having a great day so far! **

**This is a serious note. Please listen, or read. I put a review about a certain bill called SOPA or something like that. Please read that review. I probably will post it in one of the author notes, but I might not. All of you guest readers who have no freaking idea what the (Beeeeep!) I am talking about, go to the little blue number in the top right hand corner, and look for my review. Thank you for reading this! **

** Sorry I have not updated in so long. I am such a procrastinator. I am working on a new story, and I've been mentally writing it all week! So, happy late new years, Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukah, and whatever else you celebrate. **

**On to chapter 5!**

Travis and Conner arrived at their house. After opening the door with the key hidden under a flowerpot, they ran inside. They dashed around the house, collecting knives, matches, food, and anything you would usually need on a camping trip. They stuffed their school bags full, and in a last second decision, Travis grabbed his bulky winter coat. They had to travel light, but he might need his coat.

Their plan was simple- go to the post office to look at the mysterious package from their father. Get the address. Run away from town and go to his house. See if he could help. Even if he couldn't or wouldn't take care of them, he could tell them if they had any family that the brothers could stay with.

Travis hoped his plan would work.

If not, well, they'd do something. He hoped it wouldn't get to that point.

Travis and Conner waited until two o' clock to sneak out of the house. They stayed under their coats, trying to stay hidden from the police officers looking for them on the streets. The brothers snuck behind an old sycamore tree so a few high schoolers could pass. Now they were nearly at Travis's school. _Just three more blocks…_ He thought. _Just Three more blocks… don't let them catch us… _

His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. Travis spun around and came face to face with a gangly teenager his age, brown eyes darting around nervously.

"Travis! Conner! What are you doing here! Your mom is _dead! _The cops are looking for you!" Jonas was nearly yelling.

"Calm down, we _know_ mom's dead. We're going to the post office to see where dad lives. We're going to find him."

"No! Don't! Come with me first!"

"No! Why?"

"Travis, you _can't _find your dad!"

"Why not?"

"Please, Travis, I can help!"

After half an hour of arguing, the brothers were trudging along with Jonas right to the school doors.

"Please Jonas, why are we here? We could get caught!" Conner pleaded.

Jonas did not reply. He walked down the white tiled hallways and pushed open a door in the middle of the hall on the right hand side. He walked up to the metal desk where a young teacher sat grading papers.

" ?"

The young teacher looked up.

"Hello, Travis. Hi, Conner. What, may I ask, are you doing here?"

"Sir, I think these two are demigods."

looked at the brothers carefully.

"Wait, what? What does that _mean?_" Travis shouted.

"Do you know anything about Greek mythology?"

They stared at him blankly.

He sighed.

"Well then. The Greek gods are still alive today. They move to the country with the most power. Right now, that means the USA. And sometimes these gods have kids with mortals. Those are demigods. I myself am a demigod. My mother is Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle."

"Who?"

"Wait, _don't tell _me. Are you a demigod too."

"No, I'm a satyr."

"A _what_ now?"

"Half goat." Jonas raised his pants legs a bit above his ankle. It was a goat's leg alright, and it was covered in brown fur. Conner looked like he might pass out.

"Alright kiddos, I'll drive you to Long Island. There's a camp there for demigods. You might be one. At camp, you'll learn to fight monsters, and you'll meet kids your age. You also might find out who your father is. Okay then! Lets get going!"

**Alright then, than you for reading! Join us again when I finally figure out how to juggle school, homework, classes, a social life, and writing this story!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back! Cue applause! Thank you! I've decided to write a bunch of chapters ahead of time so that during state testing I don't have to write and can just focus on studying! Sorry I disappeared of the face of the planet for a while. I met Artemis and joined the Hunt. Seriously. **

The drive was torture for Travis.

Connor wouldn't shut up. He kept asking questions about _everything_.

"Could you tell us about your mother, Athena?"

And Mr. Marek would launch into a ten minute story about Athena.

"Could you explain why the Greek gods are in New York?"

Another ten minute discussion began.

"And our dad? Do you know who he is?"

"Honestly, Connor, I don't know. Since you haven't been attacked by any monsters yet, I think he might be some minor god."

Travis spoke up for the first time.

"So, you said there was a camp for demigods in Long Island? Could you tell us about _that?_"

"It's the _only_ safe place for us demigods. You'll learn useful life skills like archery, how to use swords and spears, and canoeing."

"How is canoeing a life skill?" Travis asked.

"Beats me."

"How old were you when you found out you were a demigod?" Connor asked.

"I was ten years old. A satyr found me at school and took me to camp. When I turned nineteen I left camp and decided to help satyrs find demigods at schools."

"But when I found out you two were demigods, I thought, 'Hey, their aura's not to strong. It must be a false alarm.' But I was wrong." Jonas mumbled.

Travis had jumped when Jonas had started speaking. His friend could be so quiet, it was almost like he wasn't there.

A few hours later, Mr. Marek stopped the car next to a small empty park in a tiny New Jersey town.

"Travis, Connor, I'm leaving you here. I don't want to follow you into the New York city area. I might attract more monsters than the two of you combined. But take these." He reached into the glove compartment of the car and pulled out two gleaming bronze knifes. "These will kill monsters. The metal is celestial bronze, mined from Mt. Olympus."

"Cool!" Connor exclaimed. He tilted the bronze so it caught the light and gleamed wickedly.

"You can keep those. If you don't want them and you find a better weapon at camp, donate it to The Shed."

Mr. Marek had explained that The Shed was where the weapons that didn't have owners and that it was the Athena cabin's job to help pick the right person for the weapon.

"I pray to Athena you won't run into any monsters, but…" The young teacher shook his head. "Bye kids. I hope I can see you again soon.

With that, he and Jonas hopped into the little red car and rode south, back to the little town in West Virginia.

Travis turned to his younger brother.

"Come on. We're going to get to camp."

"What's the plan?"

"We improvise. A lot."

******So, sorry for the miscalculation when I said Travis and Connor were in 5/4****th**** and 7****th**** grade. Their grades are: Travis 5****th**** and Connor 3/4****th****.**

**Thank you, whoever it was who told me how Connor was spelled! I appreciate it a lot! Reviews are awesome! So are flames!**

**Thank you, everyone reading this!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Happy Sunday! Sorry I didn't update last week. It was more of laziness than writers block. Chapter 8! I don't own Percy Jackson!**

Travis and Connor were laughing.

They were walking along the side of the road. It was dark; the only light coming from the sliver of silver moonlight coming from the clear skies, and the light from a bent stoplight whose glow flickered pathetically. The boys were hungry, tired, and covered with dirt and grime from walking along the roadside for almost five hours straight, but Travis had never felt better. Walking alongside the road gave him some clarity. Knowing that thousands of people had walked the same path as he did amazed him.

But he was happy, and so was Connor. They had decided the best way to pass the time was to tell jokes, and now they were laughing their heads off, telling funny stories and corny jokes.

"…And then she walked through the door, and the paint spilled all over her! You should have seen her face!" Connor was telling him about a prank he had pulled just a few weeks ago.

"I remember. You got expelled. But I saw your teacher. She was covered in pink paint. And feathers. She looked like a demented bird."

"Okay Travis, knock, knock."

Travis groaned. "Not again. Please no."

"Just do it! Please?" Connor pleaded.

Travis rolled his eyes. "Who's there?"

"King Tut."

"_What?_"

"Just do it."

"Fine. King Tut who?"

"King Tut-key fried chicken!"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"That's the point."

"You're mental."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Okay, I have one," Travis said. "Knock Knock."

"Who's there?"

"Noah."

"Noah who?"

"Noah a good place to eat?"

Connor's stomach rumbled. "I'm hungry!" he complained.

Travis pulled a map out of his pocket. He had purchased it at the gas station where Mr. Marek had dropped them off. Ninety cents well spent.

"It says here a town is just a quarter mile away. We'll get some food there."

Connor looked at him like he was an alien. "How do you know that?"

"Uh, I looked at the map."

Connor shook his head. I _mean_ how can you tell? First of all, you're dyslexic, like me. Second of all, _no one_ knows how to read maps. It's an inhuman skill. Third of all…"

Connor's rambling was cut off by a rustling sound in some nearby bushes.

"Something's in there," Travis whispered to his brother.

They drew their knives and approached the bush.

"On three," Travis instructed. "One… two…THREE!"

**Dun Dun Dun! Dramatic ending! **

**Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Have a good day, or night! Please review! **

**Thank you!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm sorry about the last cliffhanger… NOT!**

**Sorry, being evil is fun… :)**

**"Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."**

**-G. K. Chesterton **

**Enjoy!**

_Connor's rambling was cut off by a rustling sound in some nearby bushes. _

_ "Something's in there," Travis whispered to his brother. _

_ They drew their knives and approached the bush._

_ "On three," Travis instructed. "One… two…THREE!"_

They started stabbing the bush.

Five minutes later, they realized that they were _stabbing a bush_ and stopped.

"Okay. We just spent five minutes stabbing a bush. Now what?" Travis asked.

_kee-eeeee-arr! __A sound rang out from the bush. And then a unicorn fell out of the sky! __**(Just kidding) **__A hawk hopped out of the bush. _

_kee-eeeee-arr! _

_Connor stared at the bird. "So... Can we keep him?"_

_ "__Keep it?__"_

_ "__Please?"_

_ "Okay, um, we'll keep it." Travis shook his head. He would __never __understand his brother._

_The hawk sat happily on Connor's shoulder as the brothers started to walk away. As they took their first step, there was a strange sound, like a car going at ninety miles an hour._

_ "__Do you feel… dizzy? 'Cus I'm feeling dizzy." _

_ "__Yeah, me too…"_

_ "__Where did that town come from?"_

_ "__I'm pretty sure that's the town a quarter mile from where were… but that can't be right, we only took one step…"_

_ "__Whatever," Connor grumbled. "I'm hungry. We are going to eat now."_

_They found a reasonable fast-food restaurant and ate. Strangely, no one seemed to notice the hawk. That made Travis even more uneasy about it. After their dinner, they decided to camp out in a park close to some woods. Neither of them could sleep though. _

_ "__Knock knock."_

_ "__No."_

_ "__Please?"_

_ "__Travis, your jokes are worse than mine, and that's saying something!"_

_ "__Just do it."_

_ "__Who's there?"_

_ "__Merry."_

_ "__Merry- wait…" Travis trailed off._

_ "__What… do you see that?"_

_ "__The demon chicken lady? Yeah…"_

_ "__Stand still and hope she doesn't see us?"_

_ "__Good plan…"_

_About fifty feet away, a flock of what seemed to be half chicken and half human ladies were strutting alongside the road under the yellow light of a streetlight. They were squawking and fluttering around each other, red eyes flashing._

_ "__Now what?" Connor whispered._

_ "__Back away?"_

_They slowly started backing away, one step at a time._

_Crack._

_A sound as loud as a gunshot echoed through the park._

_Stupid twigs._

_All twenty demon chicken lady heads turned their way._

_ "__Run!"_

_**Anyways, for you people who don't know, the hawk is one of Hermes's sacred animals. It might have been a sign from their father, helping them travel to a town in seconds, or it could have been a normal bird. **_

_**Sorry for the bad opening. I wasn't sure how to start the chapter.**_

___**Bye!**_


End file.
